Changing Belt on Riccar 8650

Your 8650 is likely about 30 years old. It may not have a reset switch. If it won't run it may need a new cord or switch. If it's in good shape it may be worth having it looked at by your local Riccar dealer.

The most durable long lasting belt is available from your Riccar dealer. A Panasonic belt will fit but will need to be replaced more often. All belts should be changed at least once or twice per year.

Your 8625 is well over 20 years old. If it's been over a year since you've replaced the belt start with a new belt. Belts lose elasticity and should be replaced at least once or twice per year. The brush roll will still spin and appear to be working fine but when you put the brush roll onto the carpet it will stop spinning fast enough to clean the carpets.

No. There is only one belt. Remove the bottom plate to gain access to the belt.

There is a clutch on one side of the carpet head of the vac, which needs to be moved to one direction or the other. Your instruction manual should be able to tell you which way is which. This lever in turn activates a cam to tighten a clutch plate to the end of the brush roll. Try that and get back to me.

Lay the vacuum upside down, remove the bottom plate, remove the brush roll and belt, install new belt around motor shaft and brush roll, pull on brush roll to stretch belt far enough to drop brush roll back into place.

Remove the bottom plate to access the brush roll. Remove the brush roll to install a new belt. Your
model is over 20 years old. If it has never been Professionally serviced it may be wise to take it to a Riccar dealer for service. It could add many more years of life to your vacuum.

Your vacuum is not self propelled. It is most. Likely something was not put back together properly when installing the new belt.

HI There,

Here's a link that will walk you through step by step on how to replace the belt on your Riccar 8625 upright. This is an almost identical model, and the belt change is identical to yours.

If you have any questions please feel free to add a comment on the repair, and I"ll be happy to follow up and answer any of your questions.

Please rate my repair or send me feedback if this helped you,

http://www.fixya.com/support/t4184186-replace_belt_riccar

Thanks,

Hello,

This sounds like it is most likely a belt issue with your Riccar. In order to verify this, turn the vacuum on and turn it over on it's side after making sure that the carpet / floor switch on the top of the roller brush housing is turned to Carpets.

When you turn the vacuum on after changing the switch to carpet mode, does the roller brush spin? The belt controls the the roller brush and makes it spin. When the belt is broken or stretched out, and the brush is not spinning, or stops as soon once it hit carpeting, the brush roller will no longer help pull the vacuum forward. This would explain why the vacuum is very hard to push.

In order to help you the best, I went ahead and took some pictures for you on how to change the belt. The only really tricky part is the clutch actuator arm. If you don't already have a new belt, here's a link for you to a 2 pack of belts for your 8955 on our website:
Riccar 4000 / 8000 Series Upright Belts (2pk)

The model that I took pictures of is actually a model 8650, but this is identical in every way to your 8955 in terms of changing the belt.

What you'll need to have handy for this repair;

- Phillips Head Screw Driver
- Riccar 4000 / 8000 Series Belt
- Riccar 8000 Series Roller Brush With Clutch Assembly (only if the brushes have worn down, not necessary if brushes are still long)

Step 1: Make sure the vacuum cleaner is unplugged, and turn the vacuum cleaner upside down so the bottom plate is upwards. It's easiest to do on a work bench or counter top.



Step 2: Unscrew the two metal screws on the metal bottom plate with your Phillips head screw driver, and remove the bottom plate from the vacuum cleaner so the belt is completely exposed with the roller brush.

Step 3: Remove the belt guard that sits to the left of the roller brush, this is a metal part that protects any dirt & debris from going over to the belt. Here's a picture of that part being removed;



Step 4: Remove the Rug / Floor actuator arm from the clutch on the right hand side of the roller brush. Simply pull the metal actuator arm to the left of the brush and out of the circle that it sits in. Here's a picture of that;



Step 5: Once you have removed the actuator arm from the clutch, as well as the belt guard, lift straight up on the roller brush and remove the roller brush from the vacuum cleaner:




Step 6: Once you have removed the roller brush, and the old belt from the vacuum cleaner, take a new belt and wrap it around the metal pin in the back of the vacuums agitator housing. Here's a picture of where that pin is located with the belt wrapped around it;




Step 7: Once you have the belt wrapped around the metal pin (this is the shaft to the motor that actually spins the belt), put the other end of the belt through your roller brush;




Step 8: There is a specific way that the roller brush has to be inserted. If the roller brush is not put in properly, this can cause all sorts of problems including the brush not spinning, as well as continuously having to replace belts. You can see on the end cap of the roller brush (the right side where the belt rides) that there are two little teeth that protrude out of the end cap. Here's a picture of how it looks:



Step 9: With the roller brush inserted through the belt, position the two teeth facing downwards. You can see in the vacuum cleaner where the roller brush sits, a little groove inside of the roller brush housing. These two teeth need to straddle that groove. Also make sure that the little ring, or circle that the clutch actuator arm sits into, is facing upwards completely. It should be directly on top of the two teeth. Stretch the belt using the roller brush as leverage down into the agitator housing of the vacuum cleaner, making sure that the two teeth are facing downwards straddling the little groove. After the brush is back into the vacuum cleaner, take the metal actuator arm from the rug / floor switch, and insert it back into the metal ring (or hole) on the roller brush;



Step 10: Replace the metal belt guard that rests to the left of the belt. You'll notice on the belt guard that there are two little 90 degree notches on both sides. These notches need to face towards the belt or to the right.

Step 11: After inserting the belt guard back into the vacuum, turn the vacuum cleaner over so the top of the agitator housing is facing you. Make sure that the rug / floor switch set to the carpet setting again, and then turn the vacuum upside down again so the brush and belt are exposed again.

Step 12: With the vacuum set to the carpet setting, pull the belt forwards to ensure that the brush is spinning freely. If the belts do not spin freely, repeat steps 2-10.



tep 13: The last tricky part can be reinstalling the metal bottom plate. There is a little lip on the front of the vacuum cleaner that the edge of the bottom plate has to slide under for it to be installed properly. A lot of people just install the bottom plate over top of this lip, and this prevents the brushes from hitting the carpet as close as if the bottom plate is correctly installed. It will take away the vacuums cleaning cleaning ability dramatically. Here's a picture of the lip with the bottom plate in the backgroud;

Step 14: Slide the metal bottom plate into the lip on the vacuum cleaner, and fasten the screws back into the bottom plate to secure it. This is the way it will look if the bottom plate is installed the WRONG way.



Here's a picture of the RIGHT way to install the bottom plate:



The Riccar 8955 is great vacuum, and cleans better then most other upright s when it has a new belt on. I hope that this repair solution is helpful to you in fixing your vacuum. If you did, please be sure to click the Thumbs Up Icons in the top right hand corner of the solution. Feel free to request a clarification on the repair if you have any questions. I'm always happy to answer any questions. I hope will consider GoVacuum.com storefront for any Riccar supplies that you may need. We carry all Riccar Vacuum Bags, Filters, Belts, and Parts.

Thank you very much,

Chris J.
GoVacuum